A Charleston, WV man is filing a lawsuit against Harrell Memorial Nursing Home for the alleged neglect of his grandmother who was a resident at the facility from January 2009 to November of 2009. Clay Myers is filing suit on behalf of his grandmother, Raylene Evans.

According to Myers, the nursing home facility along with Oak Ridge Center and Genesis Healthcare Corporation were negligent and careless in treating his grandmother, who suffered serious injuries due to the neglect.

Myers also states in the claim that caregivers failed to inform family members as well as his grandmother of her total health status. The claim states that the facility failed to provide adequate staff to provide the nursing care Evans was entitled to, and that healthcare services provided by the facility were not in compliance with state and federal laws. Lack of adequate supervision and failure to care for Evans in a manner free of hazards were also claimed in the lawsuit, which was filed on March 15th in Kanawha Circuit Court.

Clay Myers is seeking both compensation and punitive damages from the defendants.

Nursing homes must provide residents with adequate supervision and quality care to ensure they remain safe and healthy. Unfortunately, many nursing homes today do not have sufficient staff to properly care and treat the residents that live in their facilities. When there is a shortage of staff members to handle the number of residents, neglect and injuries are often the result.

Nursing home abuse and neglect can take many forms, from understaffing to abusive treatment and failure to provide meals and medications in a timely manner. This is a topic that seems to be rampant in our country today, and one that often ends tragically for our elderly loved ones who reside in these facilities.

Quadrangle Assisted Living Facility in Haverford, Maryland is where a 78-year-old patient has been abused by nursing home workers as evidenced by a hidden camera or “nanny cam”. Three workers at the facility were involved in the abuse, 22-year-old Samirah Traynham and two of her co-workers.

Lois McCallister, the dementia patient that was the victim of the abuse, had repeatedly told family members that she was being punched, slapped and abused in other ways by staff members. After meeting with nursing home administration, the family was told that the claims were unfounded and a result of McCallister’s dementia.

The family later discovered bruises on McCallister’s hand and wrist. At that point, they secretly installed a nanny cam in a clock so that they could monitor her treatment. Upon viewing the recording, the family found that McCallister was being struck in the face and head while being dressed by staff members. Another recording revealed that staff members were mocking and laughing at the resident, and dancing on her bed like a stripper.

While Traynham was arrested on several charges, more arrests are expected at the facility. Traynham was arrested for neglect of a person who is care-dependent, harassment, aggravated assault, criminal conspiracy and recklessly endangering another person. Bail was set at $25,000. Delaware County District Attorney Mike Green called the abuse of McCallister “humiliating”.

Brent Russell, regional director of operations for Sunrise Senior Living which operates the facility, said that they were fully cooperating with police and authorities, and that they are the ones most eager to see that justice is done when harm comes to residents at their facilities.

Our elderly loved ones living in nursing homes deserve to be treated in a way that preserves their dignity and shows respect for their lives and feelings.

Martha Young, a 62-year-old woman who attorneys say was in decent shape when she entered Crestwood Recovery and Rehabilitation Center in 2008, has been awarded a $2 million settlement after suffering two diabetic comas in less than two months at the facility. The second left Young in what doctors say is a permanent vegetative state that could last for 20 years.

Young suffered the first diabetic coma and recovered following a brief hospital stay. After a worker at the nursing home facility administered insulin to Young even though she had not eaten in many hours, Young suffered a second diabetic coma from which she could not recover. The $2 million settlement was reached before the jury pool was even selected for trial.

Within 50 days of becoming a resident at Crestwood Young was not eating, nor was she taking her medication or drinking fluids. In the lawsuit, family members stated that Crestwood had a responsibility to see that she took in food and fluids, and that she took her medications. Family members feel that nursing home neglect is the reason that Young lapsed in to a diabetic coma.

Crestwood Recovery and Rehabilitation Center is located in Vallejo, California.

This is not an isolated incident in our nursing homes today. All too often, tragic endings come to our loved ones when those endings could have easily been avoided with proper care. There is a shortage of skilled nursing aides and assistants in our nursing homes today, and many of these employees are overworked. Add to that the fact that many staff members are hired through temporary staffing agencies where background checks are not frequently performed, and the result is nursing homes that are understaffed and incapable of properly caring for residents.

If you suspect that a loved one living in a nursing home or elderly care facility is not being cared for properly or is being abused, contact us for a free evaluation of your case. Brown Chiari is a Buffalo nursing home abuse and neglect law firm dedicated to protecting the rights of our clients.